Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Phi-3.5-vision-instructWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Phi-3.5-vision-instruct — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct (by Microsoft) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MathVista, MMMU), while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Choose Phi-3.5-vision-instruct if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MathVista, MMMU), while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is 0 month newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.9 years ago

1w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Higher MathVista score (68.1% vs 43.9%)
Higher MMMU score (63.2% vs 43.0%)
Microsoft
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Phi-3.5-vision-instruct.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 mini compare to Phi-3.5-vision-instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Phi-3.5-vision-instruct scores ScienceQA: 91.3%, POPE: 86.1%, MMBench: 81.9%, ChartQA: 81.8%, AI2D: 78.1%.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

Related comparisons